They hadn’t met in secret for over a month. He’d called, but she’d ignored him and struggled to find the right words to tell Jenn herself.
Earlier, when Jenn had gotten jealous of Alex’s wandering eyes and yanked her off the table, she had almost said something then, right there in front of the whole group. She’d been drunk enough to do it, but barely sober enough to realize that it wasn’t the best time. She wasn’t entirely sure why she’d tried to seduce him earlier. Old habits, she guessed.
Erica soaked a washcloth and used it to wipe away the mascara that had left black streaks underneath her eyes. She popped an extra aspirin into her mouth, washed it down with the bottled water, and then used the mouthwash to get rid of the nasty, leftover taste of beer.
Erica looked at her reflection one more time. “You’ve got to tell her. Do it tomorrow.” She found a terrycloth robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door, put it on, and when she walked back toward the bed, a voice in the darkest corner of the room startled her.
It said, “Do what tomorrow?”
Erica yelped and strained to see who it was. “Oh, hey. Jesus, you scared me. What’s the matter? Can’t sleep?”
PART FIVE
Jenn climbed back onto The Harlot after a short, morning swim. Just enough to get the blood flowing, just enough to let the chill of the water push the hazy fog of a hangover away. She grabbed a towel, quickly dried off, and wrapped it around herself to block the breeze. She padded into the upper deck dining area where the walls provided a shield against the wind, and found Wade, Chet, and Karen sitting around the table, drinking coffee and eating scones.
They looked up at her—the three of them smiling brightly—and waved her over. None of the disbelief or blame was there, as it had been the night before, and they’d either passed it off as a drunken mix-up, or they were doing a damn good job of hiding their true feelings about the altercation.
She poured herself a mug, grabbed a breakfast bar and a banana and then sat down with them. They didn’t ask what happened, and she didn’t offer. Instead, they chatted about how beautiful the morning was, how lucky Alex was to have all his millions handed to him, and whether or not Chet would ever get back into the ocean after having the shit scared out of him the day before.
Not long after, the others straggled up from below. Sharon and Laura came up with sleepy eyes and their hair back in ponytails. Mark and Terri trudged up the stairs looking exhausted and ready to go home. Jenn had slept on the floor of Chet and Karen’s room, and the three of them had listened to Mark and Terri arguing in the cabin next to theirs, well into the night. Terri had been yelling something about how she knew Mark had been staring at Erica, and no matter how much he professed his innocence, it didn’t matter. Eventually, Terri gave up, and they quieted down.
Alex must have slept in his captain’s chair in the cockpit, because Jenn heard him groaning down the ladder. He stumbled in, bent over, holding his back, wearing the same clothes he’d had on the night before.
They ate, drank their coffees, and nursed their hangovers. Whining, holding their temples, and keeping their sunglasses on even in the shade of the dining area.
“Too bright. Hurts too much.”
“God, my head is pounding.”
“I need more coffee.”
“Did anybody happen to bring some horse tranquilizers?”
“Where’s Erica?”
“Oh, shit,” Wade said, “I almost forgot she was here. Want me to go check on her?”
Alex shook his head. “Nah, let her sleep it off a bit.” He tipped the brim of his mug toward Jenn, grinning. “Hulk Hogan over here really put a hurting on her.”
Jenn’s face flushed, and she hid it behind her hands. “I’m so sorry about that, you guys.”
“It’s okay, honey,” Sharon said, patting her arm.
“No, it’s not. I really hurt her. I guess—I don’t know, I guess I just…I don’t even have an excuse. Honest to God, it was so crazy, like I was watching myself do it—like it was somebody else up there on the table.”
Terri crossed her arms and flicked her head toward Jenn, as if she were flinging the words at her. “Clearly, we all know what happened. You exhibited all the classic signs of a female, hormonally induced, territorial dispute. She’s lucky you didn’t—”
“Oh, my God. Would you shut the hell up?” Mark stood and stuck his finger in Terri’s face. “I’m sick of your stupid psycho-babble. They are. I am. Enough.”
“Sit down, Mark.”
“No.”
“I said, sit down.”
“Nope. I’m done with this. You went too far, and I’ve put up with it long enough. Nobody wants to hear you run your mouth, Terri. I mean, for God’s sake, why are these people even friends with us? How in the hell do we get invited for a weekend on some millionaire kid’s yacht—no offense, Alex. How, huh? Why do they want us here? It’s certainly not to listen to you yammer on and on about how smart you are and how you know what’s best for everybody else. Look at us, look at our lives. You don’t know shit, Terri.”
The other’s watched, amused, amazed, and a little bit proud of Mark for taking a stand.
Terri slapped his hand away. “I’m telling you for the last time—”
“Or what? What’re you gonna do about it, huh? You know what, forget this crap, I’m going for a swim, and I’m doing it without this stupid, lame-ass swim shirt and these ridiculous swim shoes.” Mark pulled his swim shirt off and slung it to the deck, followed by his swim shoes, which went flying out into the ocean. “Oh, and I swear to God, if you ever try to make me wear socks with sandals again, I’m filing for a divorce, you got me?”
Terri stood up, shoved Mark out of the way, and couldn’t hide her tears as she went below. He stood there, frozen in place, watching her, moved like he was going to follow, and then stepped back. Moved forward again. “Honey, wait.”
Wade reached over and grabbed Mark’s arm. “Don’t, man. Hold your ground.”
“But—”
“You did a good thing, bud. Let her cool off a bit.”
Mark let his shoulders drop. “Yeah, okay. Yeah. Good idea.”
“Felt good, didn’t it?” Wade asked, grinning.
“Honestly? That was better than sex. I mean, from what I remember.”
Jenn looked around at the group, and saw a hint of relief on everyone’s face. Whether it was because it hadn’t escalated further, or they were all glad to see Mark’s small victory, she couldn’t tell.
“Must be something in the water,” Laura said.
Chet got up from the table. “Yeah, us.”
Twenty minutes later, with Terri still below deck, they all ventured back into the ocean, Chet bravely, the rest willingly. After a short, invigorating swim, and once they were all on board, Alex suggested that they try fishing. Chet and Wade agreed, and the ladies decided it was a good time for more tanning, so they gathered up their towels, lotions, and drinks, and stood around the dining area while Laura tried to find her sandals.
Alex searched the storage closets for the rods and reels he’d picked up ages ago, but never used. He bumped his head when a terrifying scream came up from below deck, loud enough to be heard over the ocean wind.
Heads turned, focusing on the stairs. Muscles tense and ears cocked toward the sound.
Jenn said to Karen, “You heard that, too, right?”
“Yeah, was that Terri?”
Jenn ran toward the top of the stairs, just as Terri clambered up the steps on all fours, desperately, frantically trying to reach the deck. She slipped and fell, slipped again when she tried to get up, and then erupted from the stairwell.
She clawed at Jenn’s ankles, grabbing them, trying to pull herself away from whatever she’d seen. Jenn tried to move back but tripped over Terri’s hands and went down. Terri rolled over onto her backside, using her arms and feet to shove herself backward until she stopped against a low dividing wall.